PPP advises Nawaz to retract ‘irresponsible’ statement

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has strongly criticised former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s recent statement on the Mumbai attacks and asked him to retract his statement.

“Does Nawaz Sharif not know what weight his words carry when they are published around the world,” asked Sherry Rehman, the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate.

Nawaz Sharif, in an interview with a prominent English daily, said that militant orgnaisations were active in Pakistan.

“Should we allow them (non-state actors) to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can’t we complete the trial?” he had said.

Rehman said that Nawaz Sharif’s remarks were being treated around the world as a stamp on Modi’s stance about Pakistan. She said that former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar had said that India had not rendered its full cooperation in the Mumbai attacks.

She said that Pakistan wanted the Mumbai attacks case to be solved. Rehman asked Nawaz Sharif to take back his ‘irresponsible’ statement as it had harmed Pakistan.

“We hope that Nawaz Sharif will take back his words,” she said. “PPP has suffered a lot but never uttered a word against Pakistan.”

Sherry Rehman said that Nawaz Sharif’s statement had raised questions in Pakistan. She said that Pakistan had rendered its full cooperation in the Mumbai attacks case but India had not provided access to Pakistani lawyers to investigate the case.

Meanwhile, addressing a Press conference in Karachi, she while slamming former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for his controversial remarks on Mumbai attack, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Sherry Rehman on Sunday said he was essaying to dissipate sacrifices of Pakistanis against terrorism.

“Our party strongly rejects his stance, which compromises Pakistan’s narrative in the war against terrorism,” she said while addressing a conference in Karachi.

She said our people rendered great sacrifices in the war on terror and the PPP would not let anybody botch dignity of the country at any cost. We lost thousands of precious lives fighting the terrorists on our soil, she said adding that her party would combat Pakistan’s case at every forum.

The deposed premier’s ‘Mumbai attacks’ comments in an interview to a local newspaper have triggered a flood of criticism from analysts, politicians and general public in Pakistan.

Sherry Rehman said India was not cooperating with Pakistan in Mumbai attacks trial. Pakistan’s investigation team was barred from questioning the key accused, Ajmal Kasab, she added. -NNI